I luv them bros
by Ameki-Elisa
Summary: Marcus and Blank are bros...but do they wish to be more? Marcus believes he'll never have Blank, and Blank thinks the same about him. But maybe an unfortunate accident and a monkey boy can change that.
1. Jackass

**Hallo! Glad to know you guys are actually gonna read this fic! YAY! Ok, so as you probably already know, this fic will contain boyxboy romance and stuff like that, so don't go and flame me if you're traumatised afterwards! LOL**

**Marcus' POV**

There he was, relaxing against a tree with a couple of weird flowers and plants in his lap, probably collecting the items he needed for his potions. I watched in fascination as his, for once ungloved and delicate fingers carefully sorted the herbs into neat piles according to their kind. The reason I was standing there? Baku had sent me to look for him… Um, about an hour ago I think. Heh, it didn't really take me much time to find him, though. As a matter of fact, I'd noticed him right away, the moment I stepped out of the wrecked Prima Vista. But I just chose to ignore the Boss' orders for a moment, to let my eyes wander over the image in front of them, cos God, even with all the cuts and bumps he'd received from the crash Blank still managed to look damn beautiful.

He seemed to be completely oblivious of my presence, _and_ my shameless staring, so I took this rare chance to take a good look at him.

Oh man, how I want him...How I want to bury my fingers in that crimson mop of hair, how I want to caress his skin and feel those soft, full lips on mine, how I want to gaze into those sparkling green orbs and see nothing but love in them...God, I know I'm starting to sound mushy, but this is just how I feel, so shut the hell up all of you.

'Bro, I'm not gonna bite, y'know.'

The sound of his voice nearly gave me a heart attack. How the hell did he know I was there! He looked up from his task of tying the flowers together and shot me a playful grin. I felt my cheeks heat up. _Damn…_

'B-Baku's looking for you.' _Yeah, right on, casanova_.

'Oh.' He looked down again in what almost seemed like dissapointment and plucked at a stubborn and sticky leaf that was stuck on the piece of string he wore around his wrist. It was a real crappy thing I'd given him a long time ago, but it made me happy to see he still wore it. Even though Zidane said it was gay, and the Boss threatened to kill us both if we'd ever confess being gay.

I cleared my throat at a loss of what to do as Blank didn't really seem to care that much about Baku's orders.

'Alright, I get the hint.' He sighed, gathering his work in his arms and sending me a glare in mock anger. I grinned back at him as I heard him mutter things like 'jackass' and 'mommy's boy' under his breath. God he's so fucking gorgeous. I imagined how I'd slowly let my finger wander over his natural cheek, and his delicate neck...

I was violently pulled back to reality as I saw him stumble in his attempt to stand without the use of his arms. In a matter of seconds, I'd rushed over to catch him.

**Blank's POV**

Oh, God…one moment I'm about to fall on my fucking face, and the next I find my nose pressed into Marcus' chest! Hm, this ain't so bad…Maybe I should pretend to be seriously hurt, ghehehe…Nah, he'll see right through me. Oh, well, better enjoy this moment as long as it lasts!


	2. Zidane is a fuck

**Ok, I'm rewriting this fic, so don't worry if it doesn't make any sense to you ;)**

**Marcus' POV**

Right, so here I was with this beautiful angel in my arms and my eyes the size of coffeemugs. Blank's face was pressed against my chest and everytime he exhaled I felt a warm sensation tickling my skin. Finally he lifted his head to look up at me with surprise in his eyes and a charming blush on his cheeks. He looked so cute I couldn't help but smile. Luckily, he smiled as well, making the situation a little less embarassing.

'Thanks, bro.' He said softly, checking if the unfortunate accident hadn't damaged the herbs. Just as I was preparing myself to answer as casual as possible I noticed (much to my fright) that Baku was marching up to us, taking giant steps which meant he was pretty pissed. 'HEY YOU TWO PUNKS!' He roared as if we were standing miles away from him. (though he was practically yelling right into my ear). I winced and looked for the nearest way of escape, butBlank seemed to be oblivious of the pain that awaited us. ''S up, Boss.' He asked casually, as if there was no giant, furious dogman standing next to him. Baku growled in anger, pushed me roughly aside to grab Blank's arm, and proceeded to drag the poor unfortunate boy back to the crashed ship. 'Don't think you'll escape yer punishment!' He warned me. I stared after them, silently cursing Baku for ruining that one moment I had an excuse to hold Blank close to me.

**Baku's POV**

I'm afraid that Zidane's 'gay-jokes' are closer to the truth than he realizes, what else could those two brats have been doing all the time?

I glared sideways at Blank, who was grinning slightly to himself. I raised a suspicious eyebrow, but decided to leave the matter for the moment. I litteraly kicked the redhead into one of the trashed storage rooms and pulled up a chair for myself. Blank desperately tried to keep his balance, but ended up on the dusty floor anyway. I laughed out loud and waited for him to crawl up and wipe the dirt of his clothes in embarassment. 'Listen here, boy.' I said after he'd regained his composure. 'This is important: I want you to go after Zidane and make sure he gets to Lindblum without getting his monkey-ass hurt, got it? I don't trust him like I do you.' Blank scratched the back of his head. 'O-k. But how are we supposed to get out of this forest while the ship's wrecked?' He questioned logically. I pulled an old worn map out of my sock and handed it to him. The boy took it from me without much enthousiasm. 'That oughtta show you the way.' I explained, standing up to leave. Blank stuffed the dirty thing in his boot with a disgusted look on his face. 'You sure?' He queried, clearly not so happy with the mission he'd just been assigned to. I couldn't blame the kid, I mean what normal person would like to run around in this freaky forest, chasing a crazy monkey? I layed one of my giant paws on his shoulder to reassure him. 'Don't worry kid, there are tons of people dying to be member of Tantalus, you'll be easily replaced.'

**Blank's POV**

Argh, life sucks...

I sauntered down the half burnt stairway, cursing Baku and this suicide mission I was going on. It was always the same thing: Zidane would get into trouble and the Boss would send good old Blank to save his ass. Not hard to guess who's the favorite... Just as I was about to put one of my boot-clad feet outside the ship, I heard a soft voice calling my name. I turned and saw my bro slowly approaching with his arms folded, and his sword clanking slightly against his leg. I grinned widely and blushed a little at remembering what had happened earlier that day.

'Where are you going?' He asked me, his voice carrying an undertone of concern. 'Out.' I stated, pointing my head in the direction of the forest. 'Baku wants me to go after Zidane.' Marcus' eyes widened for a second, before narrowing into an angry frown. 'Has he mentioned the thousands of bloodthirsty monsters out there, or did he forget that insignificant detail?' The goblin boy growled in a dark, low voice that promised a lot of pain for their big gang leader. I felt warm inside and chuckled. _Oh, Marcus, always the stage talk..._ I waved my hands in the air. 'Don't worry about it, bro, the Boss and I both know what we're doing.' I grinned cockily, resting one hand on my blade. Marcus glared at me. 'I'm not so sure about that...' He shot back, baring his fangs just slightly. I rolled my eyes and turned around. 'Gee, thanks for putting so much trust in me, man.' I whined sarcastically.

I startled when a hand grabbed my wrist and spun me around. 'I'm not joking Blank.' Marcus said seriously. 'What if something happens to you?' He tried to look me in the eye, but I averted mine. 'I wouldn't know what to do, you know.' He admitted, his voice and grip suddenly a lot softer. This time I did look up, to see the flash of sorrow in his chestnut eyes. I immediately felt guilty for pushing his concern aside and carefully layed my hand on his arm. 'Marcus,' I assured him. 'I'll be fine! Really! Just trust me...' I gave him the biggest smile I could manage. He didn't look convinced but let go of my wrist anyway. I patted his shoulder and turned to leave, but his voice made me stop in my tracks. 'Blank, I, um-' He trailed off shyly. I spun around on my heels to see him blush and look away. 'Yes?' I held my breath and felt my heart pounding slightly. _What the hell was wrong with me?_ Marcus cleared his throat and gathered up the courage to look me in the eye. 'You better come back alive and well, Bro.' He warned me, folding his arms and glaring at me. Then he cracked a small grin. 'For the sake of our boss, that is.' I smirked boyishly. 'Aw, you really do care about him!' _Damn, I'm not even getting a goodbye kiss? _As I left, I couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed.

**Normal POV**

'God, I'm glad we're out of that cursed forest!' Baku exclaimed dramatically, succesfully stating everybody's thoughts. Marcus just rolled his eyes and sauntered over to open a treasure chest he'd spotted behind a fallen branch. The forest actually seemed kind of peaceful in the morning sun, but the frightened thieves still held their weapons close by their side, not trusting the threatening silence. Somewhere up a tree, Cinna was complaining about the absence of water for his morning cup of coffee, while Baku warningly reminded him of the cruel punishments for gang members who didn't obey their Boss' orders. The bouncy kid shrieked and literally jumped to fulfill Baku's wishes. Marcus sighed almost inaudibly as he stared at the potions he'd found inside the chest. The liquid in the bottles was an emerald green, beautifully reflecting the pale morning light, and Marcus'slightly glazed, chestnut eyes.

'Poh!' A shrill shriek sounded right beside my ear. My heart stopped beating and my left pointy ear went deaf for a second. I turned my head to the side, expecting to see something horrid, like a bloodthirsty demon or (even worse) Cinna with his stupid balloon-joke (A/N: Use your imagination, people!). No, none of that: it was a cute, pink little moogle. The round and bubbly thing held out a letter to me. 'Letter for Baku and gang!' It stated, quickly adding a few 'kuppos'. I stared at the little animal, still in shock, until I heard my ear pop. 'Umm...' I started, scratching the back of my head. The moogle raised an eyebrow at me and turned to look for a more intelligent being. It bumped right into Baku's giant belly, and the burly man plucked the paper out of the moogle's little claw. He cleared his throat and read aloud:

_Hi, guys!_

_We made it out of Evil Forest! The princess got busted up pretty bad, but she'll be up at it again in no time! Vivi and Rusty are fine too, except the last one's constantly accusing me of 'taking advantage of the princess's situation' when I'm just looking! I have to make sure she's alright, don't I? Like she'd mind a babe like me looking at her! _

_Um, there's another thing I need to tell you…After we rescued Garnet, we were being chased by Mist Spawns. Me, Vivi, Rusty and Garnet made it all out, but…Blank didn't…He pushed me out of the way when one of those monsters wanted to grab me, and got caught himself. After our escape, the forest got completely petrified. And Blank, well…But don't worry, we'll find a cure for him. Oh, and thanks for the map!_

_Take care of yourselves!_

_Zidane_

Everybody was silent after Baku had stopped reading. Even de Moogle didn't 'kupo'. Finally, Baku folded the paper and put it in his pocket. 'Well, it's good to know that Zidane made it out too. At least we now know that our mission isn't _completely_ ruined…And about Blank, like Zidane said, we'll find a cure for him, don't worry…' Everybody nodded without words. Except Marcus, who had sunk to the ground, pale as snow.

**Man it took me damn long to rewrite it so you better review :p. THANKS TO ALL REVIEWERS YOU GUYS RULE. cookies for everyone**


	3. Memory

**Hah, finished another chappie! Hehe…Ugh…Nobody cares, I guess… 0.o Anyway, thanks to Emzies and Mog! Here goes…**

**A MEMORY**

**About twelve years ago...**

_Marcus looked at the burned down hide-out with tears in his eyes. Baku was standing next to_ _him, with a comforting hand on the little boy's head. Marcus looked up at him. 'Why did they do_ _that?' He whispered to his boss with big, innocent eyes. Baku swallowed and looked away. 'I_ _dunno, kid.' He answered. How do you explain war to a ten year-old child? Marcus examined_ _the neighbourhood. He saw Cinna, sitting on the ground and crying something about a lost_ _doll while Ruby tried to comfort him, and the Nero Brothers, one wrapping a bandage around_ _Zidane's scorched tail, and the other holding the crying boy's hand. Blank, however, was_ _nowhere to be seen. Baku noticed the frightened look on Marcus' face. He pulled the boy_ _closer and rubbed his shoulder. 'I wanna see him.' Marcus said, trying to crawl out of Baku's arms._ '_Marcus…' Baku tried. Marcus shook his head fiercely. 'I'm going.' He stated firmly, ignoring Baku's look of frustration. 'I don't_ _want you to see him like this.' The man replied, taking a firm grip of Marcus' arm. The boy yanked_ _his arm away. 'Where is he! I wanna see him!' He screamed, clenching his fists. Baku stared at him in defeat. __'C'mon.' He said softly, taking Marcus' hand._

_The sight of Blank, lying on a table in the hospital with terrible wounds all over his six year old body, is something that Marcus will never forget. Tears poured down his cheeks as he carefully took hold of Blank's hand. Blank turned his head to him, not being able to smile or say something because of the burns on his face. Marcus squeezed his friend's hand. _

**PRESENT TIME**

**Normal POV**

Marcus woke that morning in an unfamiliar bed, with a dull headache pounding behind his eyes. He groaned and rested his head in his hands. Where the hell was he and what the hell had happened? Just as Marcus began to wonder how much he'd drunk the night before, the memories of the passed few days came flooding back to him: the ruined show, the crash, Evil Forest, and the letter from Zidane carrying the dreadful news that his bro had-... The young man shook his head violently, willing the pain to eb away. He flinched as a heavy hand clamped down onto his bare shoulder. 'Easy, boy.' He recognized his Boss' gruff voice, and relaxed immediately.

He slowly lifted his gaze to see Baku wobble to the other side of the room and sink down into a lazy armchair. The burly man sighed and stared at the worn carpet on the floor, folding his arms as in deep thought. Marcus scrachted the back of his head, and noticed for the first time that he was... well... _quite naked_. He grabbed his head squinted his eyes as he tried to remember if he'd undressed himself or if ... oh God whatever had happened last night!

**It's gonna take a while to rewrite all this shit 0o …**


	4. Tootsie?

**The first version of this chapter absolutely SUCKED. Thank God only 8 people got to read it 0.o …**

**Marcus' POV**

Well, the mystery's been solved: Baku had secretly slipped some sleeping weed into my coffee mug last night, as to _"give me a chance to sleep peacefully without Blanky-boy roaming my thoughts all the time"_ as he put it. Gotta thank him for that I guess (wouldn't have had much sleep otherwise). Even though I'm quite sure now he's suspecting something … But that's the last thing on my mind now.

Cinna suggested to go out and explore the town, and I agreed, just to be able to put my mind on something else.

**Normal POV**

'Potions, hi-potions, ethers, …' Marcus weighed the gils in his hand as he examined the different items on the shelves in the local item shop. He stopped at the shelf stacked with purifiers. 'Tranquilizer, eyedrops, soft …' He smiled slightly and took the elegant bottle with white liquid in his hand. 'What if I mix a dozen of these things with some cinnamon? You think I could cure Blank with that?' He asked Cinna, who was checking out some exotic soaps and creams. The flabby man grinned at that question. 'I dunno Bro, it's worth a try.' He replied jokingly. Marcus sighed and took out 2 bottles of each kind and put them in his bag. Cinna watched him with a sympathizing smile. 'Why the cinnamon, actually?' He spoke up, cocking an eyebrow. Marcus smiled widely for the first time that day. ''Cos that's his favourite.'

Back at the inn, the two thieves showed Baku their new purchases. The burly man nodded approvingly. 'Good job.' He said, putting both his giant paws on their shoulders. He took the heavily loaded bags from them and gave Marcus a crumpled paper instead. The fanged boy looked at his boss in puzzlement. Baku gave him an all-knowing grin. 'You wanna save Blanky-boy, right?' He asked with a greasy wink. Marcus felt his heart jump in his chest. 'What? You know a way?' He replied with obvious eager in his voice. Baku gestured to the strip of paper in his hand. Marcus immediately unfolded it with shaking hands, and in Baku's crappy handwriting he recognized an address in the suburbs of Treno city. (A/N: well, actually Treno is practically one giant suburb… but work with me!) 'This man is believed to have the Supersoft in his possession.' Baku explained. He shared a mutual big smirk with Cinna. Marcus closed his eyes for a minute and pressed his treasure to his chest. Then he looked up to his boss with grateful eyes. 'Where the hell did you … ?' Baku shrugged. 'A man's gotta have connections, y'know.' He said, while wobbling over to the door to open it. 'Now get movin'!' He pointed outside. 'And no romantic blabber, got it? This is still EVIL FOREST we're talking about!' Marcus blushed fiercely, and left the room as soon as possible, after throwing an embarrassed look at Cinna. Baku waited until he was out of sight. 'You better be straight as hell, got it?' He threatened, glaring at Cinna.

**Finally! Now the worst part is over… Keep R&R'ing (or whatever) !**


	5. Marcus and Steiner freak out

**Hi! Thanks to all the people that have reviewed! I think this is going to be the second last chapter (everybody: Yes! Finally the end of this boring torture!), but I'm not sure (everybody: Awww...Dammit!). Oh, yeah, and I'm giving the original story a little twist.**

**Normal POV**

Marcus sighed impatiently as the train moved slowly across the monotonous landscape. (I can't remember the exact name of the vehicle they're driving in, so I'll just call it 'train'.) He'd already grown tired of staring out of the window and decided that watching Cinna sleep was much more interesting...Slimy though it be, since Cinna never seemed to "swallow" in his sleep. Marcus glared at him enviously and wished _he _could sleep as peacefully as Cinna, but right now, his nerves were killing him. Why did it seem like this train was moving like a handicapped snail? Cinna shifted in his sleep and mumbled something about his Garnet-doll. Marcus smirked and shook his head. At least he wasn't the only one who missed his 'rag doll'.

Finally, the train came to an end at the Summit Station. Marcus hopped out immediately and ran up the stairs to the little coffee shop, with Cinna jogging behind him.

'G'day, travelers!' The old shopkeeper greeted them with a wide smile, showing the few teeth he had left. 'Can I interest ye in some delicious Bundt Cake?' Cinna's eyes lit up by hearing the word 'cake', but Marcus quickly pushed him out of the way. 'No thanks, when's the next train to Treno?' He asked straight away. The old man gestured them to wait and examined the schedule. 'I'm sorry, lads.' He sighed as he looked up again. 'Ye'll

have to wait, the next train'll be here in at least two hours.' Marcus hung his head in disappointment. 'Damn...' He moaned, sauntering out of the coffee shop. Behind him, Cinna bought two pieces of Bundt Cake and ran after his friend, offering him the biggest one. Marcus chewed on it with a grateful smile. He wasn't really hungry, but he knew he was lucky to have such a patient friend as Cinna, so he pretended to be really happy with the cake (which wasn't so hard to do since the cake tasted damned good).

'Let's watch the scenery...' Cinna suggested after they both had finished their chunk. Marcus folded his arms and turned to the window. _Phew, boring! _He thought. _Hey, maybe I can see evil forest from here! Let's see...Maybe it's that big grey...thingy over there. Hm, wait! Was that a red blur? _Marcus shook his head violently and turned away from the glass. Everything made him think about Blank.

_Two hours later..._

'C'mon, Steiner!' Princess Garnet yelled to her guardian as she jumped out of the train excitedly. The middle aged knight in rusty armor soon followed her, puffing and sweating. 'P-Princess...We have...a-arrived.' He panted. Garnet turned around and widened her eyes. 'Steiner, how many times do I have to tell you to call me 'Dagger'!' She hissed, looking around nervously. Steiner bowed his head in shame. 'Forgive me, pri-Miss Dagger!' Dagger opened her mouth to point out to him not to be so formal, but she was interrupted by a sudden shout coming from the coffee shop.

'Oh, no! I missed my train!' A voice whined. Dagger turned around to see two familiar figures running down the stairs. 'Those are friends of Zidane!' She whispered to Steiner, smiling widely. 'Princess, you should not...' Steiner started, but Dagger was already on her way to the two men.

Cinna and Marcus were quite surprised to see the princess suddenly running up to them, and they looked at each other in confusion. 'Hello...' She greeted them, slowing her pace. 'H-Hi...' Cinna answered hesitantly. Marcus nodded and looked behind her to see if Zidane was there too. 'No, Zidane isn't with me...' Dagger said, looking away. 'Got rid of him as soon as ya could, huh?' Marcus smirked, his fangs sparkling in the setting sun. Dagger's dark brown eyes pierced his. 'He shouldn't have treated me like a child.' She replied fiercely. Marcus snickered. 'I know. That's Zidane for ya...'

The train to Treno ran slowly into the station. 'Where are you two going, by the way?' Marcus asked, ignoring Steiner's _'That is not the business of a lowlife thief like you!'_-look. 'To Treno...What about you?'

'Well, Cinna's going back to Lindblum, and I'm going to Treno too, to geta Supersoft for my bro.'

'You mean...'

'There's only one man I call 'bro', and that's Blank.'

'I see...' Dagger nodded and looked down. 'I'm sorry, It's all my fault.' She apologized, shaking her head. Marcus just shrugged and said there was nothing she could do about it, even though he really felt like giving her all the blame. If he could shove it on someone else, he would have an excuse not to be mad at himself.

'Let's go together, then.' Dagger broke him out of his thoughts. 'I'll help you find the Supersoft, it's the least I can do to make it up to your friend.' Steiner's jaw dropped. 'Pri-Princess! I shant let you travel together with this...scoundrels!' Dagger eyed him angrily and grabbed Marcus's arm. 'Let's go!' She snapped, pulling the surprised thief with her. Steiner jumped into the air. 'Princess! Let go of her, you insolent cur!' Marcus turned around and made a helpless gesture. '_She_'s kidnapping _me_, ok?' Steiner moaned and ran after them.

**TRENO**

'Any idea where this Supersoft can be?' Dagger sighed tiredly after hours of searching without succes. 'Well...' Marcus took a worn piece of paper out of his pocket. 'Baku said some guy named... 'Too-tsie' has it.' Dagger suddenly stopped. 'You mean Tot?' She asked hopefully, leaning over to look at the paper. 'No, 'Tootsie'! See, that's what it says!' Marcus pointed at the crappy handwriting. 'Yes, I can see that, but couldn't it be that Baku made a mistake or something?' Dagger suggested excitedly. Marcus opened his mouth in indignation, ready to defend his boss, but then he thought it over for a while and agreed that is was indeed most likely that Baku had made a blunder.

With newly regained hope they set off to doctor Tot's house.

'Doctor Tot!' Dagger laughed happily as she recognized her old teacher. The old man looked up, a little confused, but then his lips (lips!) curled into a wide smile. 'Why, princess Garnet!' He exclaimed, walking over to her with his arms strechted out. He held her at arm's length. 'Look how you've grown!' Dagger chuckled and turned around. 'Doctor Tot, you remember Steiner, don't you?' She asked, pointing at the knight with her hand. 'Yes, of course I do!' Tot shuffled over to Steiner to shake his hand. Steiner, however, refused to do this and bowed deeply in front of the doctor. 'Such honor I am not worthy!' Steiner stated, bowing even deeper, causing his armor to creak **even **harder (if possible). Dagger let out a nervous sigh. 'Um...Yes, and this is Marcus!' She said quickly, turning Tot to the fanged thief. 'Nice to meet you.' Tot greeted him politely. Marcus nodded and looked at Dagger expectantly.

'Doctor Tot...' Dagger started, having recieved Marcus's hint. Tot looked up and smiled encouragingly.

'Yes, princess?'

'Um, do you have an item called 'Supersoft'? It's for a friend of ours...' Dagger asked, glancing at him pleadingly. Tot grimaced and scratched his beard. 'I'm not sure...' He mumbled under his breath, scanning the room. Marcus watched him anxiously, and much to his despair, Tot shook his head. 'I'm sorry...'

Marcus felt his last bit of courage slipping away. 'No...' He thought, anger and sadness rising within him. He would never get to see his bro again. Ever.

Dagger's voice didn't even got through to him. 'Marcus?' She asked, concerned. Marcus didn't hear her. He plopped down against the wall and buried his face in his arm, wishing he was dead. 'Marcus?' Dagger asked again, tapping his shoulder lightly. Marcus

threw his head back and cried out every curse he knew. Then he fell back against the wall, panting and sobbing (Ameki: He keeps on crying!). Dagger backed away a bit.

'Marcus, I know you've been under a lot of stress, but no need to yell, you know?' She said carefully, as if speaking to a child. Marcus gave a sarcastic laugh and turned his head away from her. _Easy for you to say, bitch! You haven't just heard that the most important person in your life is DEAD! _Dead...

Steiner drew his sword and placed it on the thief's throat. 'If you talk to the princess like that one more time, I WILL KILL YOU PERSONALLY!' He spat in Marcus's face.

'Then do so, I don't care...' Came the shaky answer.

'Steiner, this really isn't the moment!' Dagger shouted angrily, making a wide gesture with her arm, nearly knocking the little red bottle out of doctor Tot's hand. The old man had to make a few weird movements and bends, but eventually recovered his balance. 'I found it...' He grinned, handing the bottle to Dagger. She looked at it in surprise. 'But...Where...'

'In that box over there.'

Marcus wasn't really listening to their conversation, but the princess's cheerful laugh drew his attention. He looked up curiously and spotted the bottle with red liquid in Dagger's hands. 'I-Is that...' He stammered, causing everyone to turn around. Dagger nodded excitedly, smiling from ear to ear. Marcus rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes, sighing in relief.

**ALEXANDRIA**

'As the captain of the Pluto Knights, I demand you to release me IMMEDIATELY!' Steiner shouted for like, the hundreth time. One of the guards that was patrolling the building turned around and smirked daringly. 'And what if we don't?' She asked, cocking an eyebrow. Steiner jumped up and down in anger. 'Then I will inform the queen about your misbehaviour!' The guard laughed viciously. 'We were given orders from Her Majesty, and she wants you DEAD! You still think she will listen to you?' She sneered. Steiner hung his head and backed away from the bars of the giant birdcage they were trapped in. Marcus, who was sitting on the ground on the other side of the cage, shook his head and played with the bottle that hung around his neck as a pendant. _How the hell am I ever gonna get out of here? _He held the bottle up by the string and slowly rocked it backwards and forwards. Suddenly an idea popped to his mind. He crawled over to Steiner and pulled him down. 'Wha-' The knight squeeked in surprise. Marcus gestured him to be quiet. 'Just do as I do.' He whispered, glancing around nervously. 'I know a way to get out of here...' Steiner snorted in disdain. 'Why should I trust a mere bandit like you?' Marcus sighed and rolled his eyes, already used to being called loads of things like that (Ameki: which is completely undeserved, right, ladies?). 'Look, you wanna help the princess, don't you?' Steiner's head shot up. 'It is my honor and my duty...'

'Yes, yes, we know that!' Marcus interrupted him in irritation. 'So, if you really wanna help her, then you'll have to listen to me.' Steiner growled and looked away. Marcus folded his arms expectantly.

'Tell me your plan.' Steiner mumbled, causing Marcus to grin mischievously.

**Weeeh, don't you just luuuuv Marcus? No? Ok, then he's aaall MINE! HAHA!**

**(I am _not_ willing to share.) **

**Hohum, so I think that this was indeed the second last chapter. Fluff and a romantic reunion in the next one!**


End file.
